Board Game Using Strategic Movement to Obtain Poker Hands

ABSTRACT

A poker related board game for 2-4 players, which is played on a game board using markers, blockers, a die, and a deck of cards. The game board is composed of a starting area for each player, unmarked spaces, and 52 “marked spaces” that each contain a unique value from a standard deck of cards. The players take turns rolling a die and moving markers from their starting area to a desired marked space, claiming that space as a card in their hand. Once four marked spaces are claimed, they combine with a fifth card dealt from the deck to create a five card poker hand, the strength of which determines the winner. Depending on the embodiment of the game, players also use blockers to block opponents from claiming marked spaces. The game can be played using the actual materials or on a computer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

U.S. Application No. 61/539,979, Filed Sep. 28, 2011

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,649, issued to DiSandro and his predecessors (cited within his application) for bringing the game of poker to a game board. Reference is also made to U.S. Pat. No. 7,871,077, issued to Calvert, for its description of efforts to incorporate the use of dice into a poker related board game.

One limitation of poker continues to be that poker players always obtain their cards through chance, not choice. For the same reason, poker players have no influence over their opponents' hands. Thus, one objective and/or advantage of this invention is that it enables players, through strategic movement, to attempt to obtain a hand of their choosing and to block opponents from obtaining a desired hand, giving strategy a greater role in determining the game's outcome.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a poker-related game which utilizes a game board, playing cards, game pieces (referred to in this application as “markers” and “blockers”), and a die (either six or eight sided) which can be used for entertainment or gambling. The game has many variations and can be played by 2-4 players. It is described below in a physical format, where the game board, cards, die, and pieces can be set down on a table and played, but it can also be digitized and played on an electronic device.

The object of the invention is for the players to “claim” the best poker hand by rolling a die and moving colored “markers” around a game board from a designated starting area to desired “marked spaces”. The marked spaces contain card values, one for each of the 52 cards in a standard deck, which a player claims by landing on them with a marker. When claimed, the marked space becomes a card in that player's hand. In the preferred embodiment of the game, the player must claim four marked spaces (one for each of his four markers), which are combined with a fifth card dealt from the deck, to form a five card poker hand, the value of which is determined in accordance with standard poker rules. Game play ends when any player obtains a “minimum qualifying hand” (“MQH”—i.e., a straight or better). After that, each player has one more turn to complete their hand before the game ends. However, if no player obtains a MQH, game play continues until each player claims four cards. The winner has the best poker hand at the end of the game.

Players can also block opponents from claiming marked spaces with blockers. In one variation of the game, players can move blockers from one of the eight unmarked spaces in the center of the board, to a marked space they anticipate their opponents intend to claim. Doing so blocks that space from being claimed. Blockers also function as geographical barriers since markers and blockers cannot move over them.

As described herein, there are many ways to play this game. For each variation, wagers can be made when a player claims and/or blocks a marked space.

Through the use of markers and blockers on this game board, players can pursue a hand of their choice and block their opponents' efforts to do the same, giving strategy an increased role in obtaining the best hand in a poker game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan (top) view of the game board, which contains four starting areas referred to as “launch areas” (1a-d) from which each player's markers start. The launch areas are the four squares located near the corners of the game board. Each launch area has its own color (red, orange, yellow, or blue), which matches the color of a player's markers. On FIG. 1 the red player's launch area is located at “1a”; the orange player's launch area is located at “1b”; the yellow player's launch area is located at “1c”; and the blue player's launch area is located at “1d”.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the board contains 108 unmarked spaces, which are referenced by example at “2”. The board also contains 52 “marked spaces”, which are referenced in FIG. 1 by example at “3”. Each marked space contains a unique card value from a standard deck of 52 cards.

The launch areas at “1a-d”, the unmarked spaces at “2”, and the marked spaces at “3” together constitute the playable area of the board. Each triangle and launch area represents one space. The areas referenced at “4” are non-playable areas of the board, which are decorative only.

FIG. 2 shows the equipment used with the board to play the game, which consists of four red markers shown at “6”, four orange markers shown at “7”, four yellow markers at “8”, four blue markers at “9”, eight black blockers at “10” (although up to 24 blockers may be used depending on the variation of the game), an eight sided die at “11” (although a six sided die may be used instead), two white markers at “12”, and a standard deck of 52 cards (plus two jokers at “13”.

FIG. 3 is also a drawing of the board, this time showing the setup of each player's markers and, for a certain embodiment of the game, the starting position of the blockers. The markers and blockers shown in FIG. 2 at “6”-“10” are the same shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view used to show the how markers move around the board. The arrows shown at “14” illustrate that markers move to adjacent spaces; they do not skip spaces or move diagonally. Thus, the marker at “9” could move directly to the space marked “2♦”; but it could not move directly to the space marked “J

”. Once moved to “2♦” however (assuming a die roll of 2 or more), the marker could then move to “J

”.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention is a poker related board game for 2-4 players, which has many variations. This section will describe variations of the game, but many others are possible. The players can also make bets at various points in the game. So, this description should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.

This invention is played on a unique game board (see FIG. 1) which is an octagonal shaped design drawn on paper or any other medium of visual display (e.g., a computer screen). The game board is composed of four square shaped launch areas shown at “1a-d”, 108 unmarked spaces shown at “2”, 52 marked spaces shown at “3”, and the margin/boarder area shown at “4”. The areas referenced at “1”, “2” and “3” constitute the playable area of the game board. Each triangle and launch area represents one space. The margins and border shown at “4” are decorative only, and are not used in game play. (See FIG. 1.)

The game is played using the equipment shown on FIG. 2, specifically, four colored markers for each player shown at “6”, “7”, “8”, and “9”, white markers shown at “12”, blockers shown at “10”, an eight (or six) sided die shown at “11”, and a deck of playing cards shown at “13”. The game can also be played using digitized representations of this equipment on an electronic device.

The object of the game is for the players to claim marked spaces on the board by rolling a die and moving one marker per turn until each marker lands on its own marked space. The marked spaces each contain a card value. Once a player claims four marked spaces, these spaces act as cards in the player's hand. They are combined with a fifth card, which can be either a hole card or a community card (similar to Texas Hold 'em), depending on the variation of the game. The five cards together form a poker hand and the winner is the player with the best hand at the end of the game.

Players can also block their opponents from claiming a marked space by moving a blocker to, or (depending on the variation of the game) placing a blocker on, a marked space before it is claimed.

In the preferred embodiment of the game, the markers and blockers are set up on the game board at the start of the game as shown on FIG. 3. Each player selects a color (either red, orange, yellow, or blue) and places his or her markers (one per space) in the launch area designated for that color. Eight black blockers are placed in the eight unmarked spaces in the center of the board, as shown in FIG. 3.

The cards are shuffled and two “community cards” are turned over; the white markers are placed on the corresponding spaces on the board for these cards (to prevent players from claiming these spaces). By the end of the game, the players will chose one (and only one) of these two cards as the fifth card in their hand. (This fifth card is automatically in each player's hand.)

The players then roll the die to determine who goes first (as determined by the highest number rolled). Starting with the first player and continuing with the player to the left, each player rolls the die and moves one of his markers or a blocker the number of spaces indicated on the die, toward and ultimately to, a desired marked space. The player claims a marked space by landing on it with a marker (only marked spaces can be claimed); the player blocks anyone from claiming a marked space by landing on it with a blocker.

Markers and blockers are moved in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4. They can move around the playable area of the board in any direction (toward, away from, or around the center of the board) the number of spaces indicated on the die, but they can only move to adjacent spaces as illustrated by the arrows in FIG. 4 at “14”. They cannot skip spaces or move diagonally. Within the same turn, markers and blockers may not move back to a space from which they were just moved.

Without exception, markers and blockers may not land on an already occupied space (this includes spaces occupied by white markers). Except for the launch area, only one marker or blocker can occupy a space at a time. They can move over spaces occupied by a marker, but they cannot move over spaces occupied by a blocker. A marker or blocker that lands on a marked space cannot be moved again during the game.

Game play continues until a player obtains a “minimum qualifying hand” (“MQH”—i.e., a straight or better), at which point each of the remaining players has only one more turn to finish claiming marked spaces with their markers before the game ends. However, if no player obtains a MQH, game play continues until each player claims a marked space with each of their markers

The winner is the player with the best five card poker hand at the end of the game. In this variation, a hand is composed of the four claimed marked spaces and one of the two community cards. (As described below, in other variations of the game, a hand is composed of other combinations of claimed marked spaces and cards.) Thus, a player must claim a marked space with each of her markers to win. Poker hand values are determined in accordance with standard five card poker rules.

Game play continues if a player claims four cards but fails to obtain a MQH. Although such a player can no longer move markers, he or she may still move or place blockers, while the other players complete their hands.

Alternatively, instead of community cards, at the beginning of the game each payer is dealt a single “hole card” as the fifth card for their hand. Hole cards are kept secret from other players until the end of the game. The players may not claim the space on the board that matches their hole card; by doing so the player forfeits the game. Otherwise, game play continues in the manner described above.

Another option for the fifth card is for it to be dealt after a player claims four spaces (instead of at the beginning of the game). This option creates two more game variations—one in which each player is dealt his own “hole card” upon claiming their four cards, another in which two community cards are turned over once the first player claims four cards. In the former variation, if the fifth card matches one of the marked spaced claimed by the player wielding it, it becomes a wild card (i.e., has a value determined by the player). In the latter variation, the chosen community card is wild for any player who has claimed it by the end of the game. To incentivize players to be the first to claim four cards in the latter version, the first player to complete their hand is awarded a hole card (which becomes wild if it matches a space the player holding it already claimed), which that player may use as their fifth card instead of the community cards. In both of these options, the game is otherwise played as described in ¶¶0026-0033 above.

Another “fifth card” variation is that instead of dealing a card to complete the player's hand, the players play the game with five markers, which all start from the launch area. In fact, players can play the game as described in ¶¶0026-0033 above using any number of markers between one and five so long as sufficient hole or community cards are provided to enable the players to obtain a five card hand (e.g., five markers and no cards; three markers and two hole cards; three markers and three community cards, out of which two are used to complete the hand).

For each of these variations, there are also many ways to use blockers. One alternative, for example, is for players to be dealt “blocker cards”: 7 in a two player game, 6 in a three player game, and 5 in a four player game, which the players may use throughout the game to block marked spaces. No blockers are on the board at the start of the game. Instead, at the beginning of each turn and before rolling and moving a marker, each player has the option of revealing one of her blocker cards to the other players and placing a blocker on the matching marked space on the board for that card (provided that space is not already occupied). Optionally, the two jokers in the deck can be used as wild cards giving the player holding one the ability to block any marked space on the board. The players may use all of the blocker cards, but only one per turn. Instead of revealing a card, a player may exchange one per turn, by discarding one and drawing another from the top of the deck for use on a later turn. Thus, on each turn, a player may either use or exchange a blocker card for a new one.

As an additional variation on the use of blockers, the players may choose to have 16 cards turned over at the beginning of the game, or, have one card turned over at the beginning of each round for 24 rounds. (Hypothetically, the players can agree to turn over any number of cards during a game.) The spaces shown on those cards would be blocked with a blocker. (The wild cards are removed from the deck for the purposes of this variation.)

Thus, the combinations of fifth card options and the various ways of using blockers and blocker cards give rise to numerous ways to play this game. Each of these variations however, give the players a measure of control over the hand they want to obtain and influence over the intended hands of their opponents, creating a game where players employ strategy to obtain the best poker hand. 

1) This invention is a poker related board game that utilizes the following components: A) A game board that contains designated starting areas, 52 “marked spaces” (i.e., spaces that are each marked with a unique value from a standard deck of 52 playing cards), and “unmarked spaces”; B) A set of primary games pieces (hereinafter called “markers”) for each player color (red, blue, orange, and yellow); C) A die; D) A deck of 52 playing cards (with 2 jokers); E) A set of black secondary game pieces (hereinafter called “blockers”); 2) Between 2-4 players use the components described in claim 1 to play a game, the object of which is to claim marked spaces to make a poker hand, by doing the following: A) Placing four colored markers in the designated starting area; B) Placing black blockers on the game board, one in each of the eight most central unmarked spaces; C) Dealing two “community cards”, one of which will function as the “fifth card” in each players' hand; D) Taking turns rolling the die and moving the number of spaces indicated thereon, either i) a marker from the player's designated starting area to a desired marked space, claiming it as a card in their hand, or ii) a blocker from one of the eight unmark spaces in the center of the board to a marked space, blocking any player from claiming that space. E) Continuing game play as described in (2)(d) until either i) a player claims a card with each marker that when combined with the fifth card make a “minimum qualifying hand” (“MQH”—i.e., a straight or better), at which point the rest of the players each get one more turn, or ii) all players claim a marked space with each of their markers; and F) Determining the winner of the game, who at the end of the game is the player with the best five card poker hand (composed of the marked spaces claimed plus any one of the two community cards). 3) Alternatively, the materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claim 2, except that instead of dealing community cards at the beginning of the game as described in claim (2)(c), the players are each dealt a single “hole card” to be used as the fifth card when determining the value of the player's poker hand. 3) Alternatively, the materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claim 2, except that when the first player claims a marked space with all of his markers A) two community cards are drawn, one of which each player will use as the fifth card in their hand, B) the first player is awarded a hole card to use, instead of the community cards, if he so chooses, and C) any community or hole card that matches any of the marked spaces claimed by a player entitled to use such card, becomes a wild card for that player. 5) Alternatively, the materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claim 3, except that A) a hole card is dealt to each player who claims a marked space with each of his markers, and B) any hole card that matches any of the marked spaces claimed by the player wielding it, becomes a wild card for that player. 6) Alternatively, the materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claims 2-5, except that the game may be played with any number of markers between one and five as long as sufficient hole or community cards are provided to enable the players to obtain a five card hand (e.g., five markers and no cards; three markers and two hole cards; three markers and three community cards, out of which any two of the community cards are used to complete the hand). 7) Alternatively, the materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claims 2-6, except that no blockers are on the board at the start of the game, and the players are dealt “blocker cards”—7 in a two player game, 6 in a three player game, and 5 in a four player game—which the players may use by either A) revealing one at the beginning of their turn (until all the cards are used) and marking the corresponding space on the board for that card with a blocker (blocking anyone from claiming that space), or B) discarding any one of their blocker cards and exchanging it for a new one from the deck for use on a later turn. 8) Alternatively, the materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claim 7, with the added option of using the two jokers in the deck as wild cards, enabling the player holding a joker to block any marked space. 9) Alternatively, the materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claims 2-6, except that 16 blocker cards (or any number agreed to by and among the players) are dealt from the deck at the beginning of the game, and a blocker is placed on the corresponding marked space on the game board for each of those cards blocking any player from claiming those marked spaces during the game. 10) Alternatively, the materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claims 2-6, except that instead of placing black blockers on the game board as described in claim (2)(b), for the first 24 rounds of the game (or any number agreed to by and among the players), a blocker card is drawn at the beginning of each round and a blocker is placed on the corresponding marked space on the board for that card blocking any player from claiming those marked spaces during the game. 11) The materials described in claim 1 may be used to play the game by the methodology described in claims 2-11 with wagers being made any time a player claims and/or blocks a marked space. 12) The materials described in claim 1 may be digitized and the game may be played on an electronic device using the methodology described in claims 2-11. 